Half of a Whole
by Daisuk
Summary: He just doesn't want to feel like half of a whole anymore...could Axel offer a solution?


The boy ghosted quietly down the empty streets of the town, his fingers trailing lightly across the buildings as he passed. He was alone; his friends having gone to watch the tournament being held in the square. He was finally able to sit back for the first time in a while and think.

So much had happened in the past day. So much, and yet he had had so little time to take it all in. The weird dream that had started it all. A boys face, always there, unknown and yet so hauntingly familiar.

He looks just like you 

Why did those words follow the boy's every step? He felt weighed down by them; held by bonds he was unable to break. Before today he had felt normal. And yet, the loneliness he felt physically now clung to him mentally too….

Like he was only half of a whole.

Blue eyes, cinnamon hair. His expression seemingly so peaceful, as if he was in a slumber. The same face; a mural on the ground beneath his feet, as he struggled to fight back creatures with a giant key. Around the boy, other faces. A silver haired teen; a duck, a dog, and a girl. A girl that seemed just as familiar. But whenever he tried to picture her, someone else popped into his mind; a female with blonde hair and blue eyes, beautiful in every single way, and similar to the other. As if she and the auburn haired girl were one and the same, two halves of a whole as well.

He had met the blonde one before. Namine. Yes, the name seemed to fit, although he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.

A hand, reaching out through the darkness as he sunk, pulling him out and lighting his way…..

It was her. He was sure of it. From his dream. But why had it not been Orette? Surely if he was being saved by a female, it would be his best friend, and not a stranger. But she didn't seem a stranger… no. Not a stranger. Not quite.

"Roxas…."

The blonde boy froze mid-thought, his back rigid as he heard his name whispered across the wind. "Who's there?" he called out, instinctively crouching down and preparing to run.

"Aw, come now Roxas. There's no need to run from me."

A male voice, deep and melodious, came from a doorway ahead. Roxas shuffled forward slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of who was inside. "Show yourself!" he called out.

In response, a man flowed out from the darkness. Cloaked in black from head to toe, the first thing Roxas noticed was his hair. Bright red, a contrast to the dark that seemed to surround the man. The next thing; the most captivating thing, Roxas would come to realize later, was his eyes. Deep, emerald green. As the blonde boy's own deep blue ones met up with them, he felt as if he was lost in a sea of endless colour; a field with no flowers, no marks, just endless, perfect green.

"Who are you?" Roxas seemed to manage out, prying his eyes away from the older man's. The man smirked, crossing his arms. "My name is Axel. Commit it to memory."

"Um…sure," Roxas replied. Shaking his head, he turned as if to walk away, and felt a pressure around his upper arm.

"No no, Roxas, you can't leave now, we just met." The red head said, holding his arm tightly.

The blonde boy, whipped around, smacking the hand off his arm and backing up a few steps, locking eyes with the firey haired man. "What do you want?" he said slowly, backing away as he talked.

Axel smiled, before he took a step to the side. Roxas raised an arm protectively, shielding his face in case of attack. But nothing happened. Almost quizzically, he lowered his arm, before feeling pressure on his shoulders. "Now then, don't run. Stay. We should talk." His voice lowered to a whisper as he brought his lips close to the boy's ear. "I can help you. I can make you feel _whole_."

Roxas' eyes widened, before he looked to the ground. How did he know? Why did he know? How could he help? Could he solve all the answers? Who was Namine? Who was the cinnamon haired boy? Why did he feel so… so…

"Incomplete?" Axel said with a satisfied smirk, as if reading his mind. Roxas just nodded slowly.

"Who are you?" he managed out, still gazing at the ground. "And how do you know?"

Axel released Ten, walking around him and heading towards the dark, empty doorway. From within it, something seemed to pulse; a portal of some sorts.

"The question isn't how do I know. It's do I know the answers? And to that, the answer is simple. All you need to do is follow." With that last, finalizing sentence, he was gone, back to the darkness from which he came.

Roxas raised his head, glancing around. Should he go? Should he gamble it? The entire day had been so messed up, all starting with that _dream_… and yet this was the first thing that had offered answers. It could stop the haunting. It could make him feel normal again. There was no surety of those answers, of course. But he didn't want to feel like one half of a whole. The less time he felt that way, the better. He could always come back.

He glanced back the way he had come; back towards the arena. His friends would barely notice he was gone. He could always come back.

Repeating that sentence over and over again in his mind, he took a deep breath, stepping into the portal that would begin his story.


End file.
